Looking up

I-94 and some streets in old Milwaukee become art galleries this week as part of Digital Billboard Art Month. IN:SITE, the temporary public art masters, working with the area's outdoor advertising leaders, the mayor's office and local arts and scholastic organizations, are putting on an art show in the air using 18 digital billboards. These special billboards will be on display Tuesday through Oct. 10. | Sept. 28, 2013»Read Full Article

Eight films will be shown in the Black Lens series, including the 1987 classic "Hollywood Shuffle." The film stars Robert Townsend as a black actor auditioning for a series of stereotypical roles. Townsend, who directed and co-wrote the film, will appear at a question-and-answer session after the film. | Aug. 26, 2014»Read Full Article

■ Johnny Aries, "Unbloomed" (Frenchkiss). Guitarist, bassist and backing singer for the touring version of the pop-rock band the Drums, Aries starts his solo career with a disc that shares jangly, sparkly attributes with the Drums and also with the Smiths.

■ Ashrae Fax, "Never Really Been Into It" (Mexican Summer). Gothic electro-pop duo from North Carolina digs out recordings from the late 1990s and remakes them into a kind of new LP of lost songs. | Aug. 25, 2014»Read Full Article

Refuge Smoothie Cafe will open in the Milwaukee Athletic Club downtown in September, cafe owner Josua Janis said.

It will be the fourth location in about a year for the cafe, which serves smoothies, coffee and baked goods. The first cafe opened at 763 N. Plankinton Ave. downtown last summer, the second at 2328 N. Farwell Ave. in winter and the third took over the Wild Flour Bakery location at 422 E. Lincoln Ave. in Bay View in June. | Aug. 25, 2014»Read Full Blog Post(1)

The Boulevard Theatre, which sold its longtime Bay View home earlier this summer, has added a full-time managing director, the theater company announced Monday.

Dawn Wenszell, who served as business manager in Boulevard's early days, was a company manager with the Milwaukee Repertory Theater for more than 15 years. Wenszell's new role with the Boulevard calls for her to work with founder and longtime artistic director Mark Bucher in shaping the theater's "new model of dynamic mobility," board president Holly Blomquist said in a statement. | Aug. 25, 2014»Read Full Article

My story today about the downtown condo penthouse that housed the studios of radio station WQFM in the 1970s and '80s, has drawn response from others who remember with affection the station and the ledge where announcer Tim the Rock 'n' Roll Animal, camped out for 14 days in a successful attempt to convince the Who to play Milwaukee.

In Smith's case, yes. She may not have lived as far "outside society" as she suggests in one of her songs, but she has followed her own star through a lifetime of music, poetry and art. At 67, Smith more than merits the godmother status that younger performers and listeners have bestowed on her. | Aug. 25, 2014»Read Full Article

While the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100 stays the same for the sixth week, Milwaukee's own Danny Gokey is celebrating his first number one hit in the Christian genre. Watch the videos for the biggest pop hit of the week below and then find out which songs were number one this week back in 2008, 1998, 1988 and 1978.